Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Leo Varadkar's relatives in India rejoice as he becomes Ireland prime minister

Shubhada Varadkar is wondering what she can gift to her cousin Leo Varadkar, who has taken over as the new prime minister of Ireland.

Having gifted books to her cousin earlier, she said now the situation has changed.


"We watched the oath ceremony on TV yesterday. We were almost glued to the television. It is indeed a moment full of joy, happiness and pride for the entire Varadkar family," said Shubhada, who lives in suburban Borivali.

"I am planning to visit the UK in August, and hopefully I will get a chance to (go to Ireland and) meet him, now the prime minister of Ireland.

"In one of our previous meetings, I had gifted him (Nehru's) 'Discovery of India', and I was pleased to know that he knows a lot about India as a democratic country and its historic moments.

"But I am wondering what should I gift him now, as a PM whether he would find the time to read... And as a PM, he can get anything whenever he wants," she said.

Vasant Varadkar, Leo's distant cousin from Sindhudurg district of coastal Maharashtra, said, "We have shared our feelings and wishes with Leo's father Ashok. We are in touch with him and we keep exchanging messages from time to time.

"Our wish is that one day Leo as the PM of Ireland should come to his village Varad in Sindhudurg district. It would be the biggest day of our life."

Leo Varadkar, Ireland's first Indian-origin premier, yesterday officially took over from Enda Kenny as Taoiseach, as the Irish prime ministerial title is known, after a parliamentary vote in Dublin confirmed him as the leader by 57 votes to 50, with 47 abstentions.

He is the youngest and the first openly gay prime minister of the Catholic-majority country.

His father Ashok, hails from Varad, a village in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.

More For You

Tulip-Siddiq-Starmer

Earlier this month, Siddiq referred herself to Starmer's standards adviser after allegations surfaced that she lived in properties connected to her aunt and the Awami League party. (Photo: X/@TulipSiddiq)

Calls grow for Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq amid graft allegations

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to remove Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq following allegations linked to her family’s ties with Bangladesh's former prime minister.

Siddiq has faced scrutiny over her connection to her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August after being ousted by a student-led uprising that ended her long tenure as prime minister.

Keep ReadingShow less
tulip-siddiq-getty

According to the investigation, Siddiq lived in a Hampstead property linked to an offshore company named in the Panama Papers, which is reportedly connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bangladesh's Yunus calls for probe into Tulip Siddiq's assets

BANGLADESH government's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus has urged an investigation into the properties owned by Tulip Siddiq and her family, suggesting they may have been acquired unlawfully during the tenure of her aunt, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

In an interview with The Times, Yunus criticised the alleged use of properties gifted to the Treasury and City minister and her family by "allies of her aunt's deposed regime."

Keep ReadingShow less
Cambridge shaped Manmohan Singh’s economic vision

Manmohan Singh

Cambridge shaped Manmohan Singh’s economic vision

DR MANMOHAN SINGH’S passing at the age of 92 on December 26 reminds me of my interview with the then prime minister of India in 2006 in Delhi. He told me his economic thinking had been shaped to a great extent by his time in Cambridge.

The man credited with opening up India to globalisation, serving as minister of finance from 1991 to 1996 under prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, said he viewed economics as a tool to help the poorest in society.

Keep ReadingShow less
Maha Kumbh Mela

Pilgrims began arriving in the early hours to bathe in the sacred waters, a ritual believed to cleanse sins and bring salvation. (Photo: Getty Images)

India opens Maha Kumbh Mela, expected to draw 400 million pilgrims

THE MAHA KUMBH MELA, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, began on Monday in Prayagraj in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with millions of Hindu devotees taking a ritual dip at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

Organisers expect around 400 million people to attend the six-week festival, which will continue until 26 February.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian brother-sister duo jailed for charity fraud

Kaldip Singh Lehal and Rajbinder Kaur (Photo: West Midlands Police)

Asian brother-sister duo jailed for charity fraud

A Birmingham-based brother and sister duo associated with the Sikh Youth UK group have been sentenced by a UK court after being found guilty of fraud offences relating to charitable donations.

Rajbinder Kaur, 55, was convicted for money laundering and six counts of theft amounting to £50,000 and one count under Section 60 of the UK’s Charities Act 2011, which covers knowingly or recklessly providing false or misleading information to the Charity Commission.

Keep ReadingShow less